Proposed Trade Fills ‘Hole’ on Steelers Defense

There’s a couple different reasons to be excited about the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023. The Herd’s Colin Cowherd identified the fact the Steelers don’t have any obvious holes as one of the top things to be thrilled about in Pittsburgh.

But his co-host, Jason McIntyre, didn’t agree, as he identified one hole on the Steelers defense. But then he proposed a way to fill it.

“Here’s a hole: their cornerback situation. Patrick Peterson, who is a fossil at cornerback, and their other guy is a rookie,” said McIntyre on June 29.

“Earlier in the show, we talked about the worst teams. We forgot the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are gonna be very bad. They do have two good corners, [Jamel] Dean and [Carlton] Davis. If the ship is sinking, are they sellers coming near the trade deadline? This could be a team with some pieces to offload, and maybe Pittsburgh goes shopping.

“There’s a possibility the Steelers can add a cornerback later in the season.”

The “other guy” McIntyre is referring to is No. 32 overall pick Joey Porter Jr. He is projected to start at one of Pittsburgh’s two outside cornerback spots.

But Peterson might not.

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Steelers Cornerback Depth Heading Into Training Camp

What McIntyre said is interesting for a couple different reasons. For one, he’s assuming Peterson will primarily play cornerback for the Steelers this fall.

One way or another, Peterson is going to play a lot for Pittsburgh. But it might not be on the outside.

On the June 19 episode of his podcast, “All Things Covered,” Peterson revealed that he was learning new positions this offseason. He didn’t want to say much else, but Peterson implied that he may move around in the Steelers secondary.

“Just having the opportunity to be a ball player, and that’s what coach Mike T. and the Pittsburgh Steelers are giving me the opportunity to do,” said Peterson.

The Steelers still have veteran cornerback Levi Wallace, who has made 61 starts in his NFL career. Pittsburgh could start Wallace and Porter on the outside and position Peterson at nickel back.

Another possibility is Peterson will split time the outside and the slot. That could make sense particularly early in the season as Porter gets acclimated.

The Steelers also have veteran Chandon Sullivan as an option at slot cornerback. For depth, Pittsburgh brought back James Pierre and drafted Cory Trice, who impressed during offseason workouts.

It’s fair to be at least a little concerned about Pittsburgh’s cornerbacks. All rookies are question marks to a degree, and Peterson will be 33 on July 11. Wallace also wasn’t spectacular during his first season with the Steelers.

But what Cowherd said in rebuttal to McIntyre is also true. Cowherd argued “everyone in the league” is looking for more cornerback depth, and the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl by starting players 25 or younger, including two rookies, at cornerback last year.

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How Jamel Dean or Carlton Davis Potentially Fit With the Steelers

The Steelers very likely don’t perceive themselves to have a hole at cornerback. But that doesn’t mean general manager Omar Khan wouldn’t be interested in upgrading the position at the midseason point.

Jamel Dean or Carlton Davis would offer that opportunity.

Dean became a starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers toward the end of the 2020 season. He played a key role for the Buccaneers defense during the playoffs on the team’s way to the Super Bowl.

Over the past two years, he’s started 26 games, posting 4 interceptions and 17 pass defenses. In 57 career games, he has 193 combined tackles, including 6 tackles for loss, 41 pass defenses and 7 picks.

Davis has experienced similar success. He started 12 games for Tampa Bay as a rookie in 2018. He intercepted 4 passes during the 2020 regular season and then recorded 3 pass defenses during the playoffs.

Last season, he had 65 combined tackles, including 3 tackles for loss and 12 pass defenses with 1 pick. He has 7 interceptions and 64 pass defenses in 64 career games.

Depending on how the first seven weeks go, Dean or Davis could be an intriguing addition to the Steelers defense at the NFL trade deadline.

Cornerback, though, is hardly the consensus top need for the Steelers heading into training camp. Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger argued that the Steelers should target inside linebacker Rashaan Evans as their “one piece of business” remaining this summer.

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